Toxic Books?

A possible new danger has been detected in those beloved children's classics, any published before 1985. The possible danger cited — lead in the ink used for the printed word.

The danger isn't a clear and present one. Nonetheless, Congress has taken action to ban the books.

From this article in the Washington Post "Health" section:

Rachel Merrill, mother of three, was holding innocuous-seeming contraband in her hand at an Arlington Goodwill store earlier this month: a 1971 edition of "Little House on the Prairie." This copy of the children's classic had just become illegal to resell because of concerns that some old books contain lead in their ink.

Legislation passed by Congress last August in response to fears of lead-tainted toys imported from China went into effect last month. Consumer groups and safety advocates have praised it for its far-reaching protections. But libraries and book resellers such as Goodwill are worried about one small part of the law: a ban on distributing children's books printed before 1985.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the agency charged with enforcing the act, lead in the books' inks could make its way into the mouths of little kids. Goodwill is calling for a change in the legislation even as it clears its shelves to comply, and libraries are worried they could be the next ones scrubbing their shelves.

[...]

Implementation of the new law has libraries and secondhand bookstores reeling. Although they could pay to have each old book tested, the cost ($300 to $600 a book, according to the American Library Association) makes that impractical.

The [Consumer Product Safety Commission] has advised libraries not to circulate old books while the agency reviews the situation....

"We're talking about tens of millions of books," said Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the Washington office of the American Library Association....

Of course, in order for children to suffer the deleterious effects of lead poisoning, they have to ingest the toxic element. The last time I checked, (1) children do not generally lick the pages of books, and (2) parents are responsible for keeping possibly dangerous items away from their toddler's prying hands and hungry mouths. Furthermore, I've never known of one single case of lead poisoning stemming from traces of lead in the printed word. Has anyone? In fact, according to this article:

Could a vintage, dog-eared copy of “The Cat in the Hat” or “Where the Wild Things Are” be hazardous to your children?

Probably not, according to the nation’s premier medical sleuths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC statement likely means that not one documented case of lead poisoing can be traced to the ink in children's classics.

The above-cited Washington Post article also states that the possibility of lead poisoning from the ink on the pages of older books is one of some controversy and dispute:

Scientists are emphatic that lead, which was common in paints before its use was banned in 1978, poses a threat to the neural development of small children. But they disagree about whether there is enough in the ink in children's books to warrant concern....

"On the scale of concerns to have about lead, this is very clearly not a high priority," said Ellen Silbergeld, a MacArthur scholar and professor of public health at Johns Hopkins University who is considered one of the leading experts on lead poisoning.

"It doesn't take a tremendous amount of intelligence to figure out what the highest-risk sources of lead are," Silbergeld said. "...I think this is just absurd, and I think it's disingenuous." She said that toys, poorly made jewelry and other trinkets were cause for much more alarm.

Nevertheless, in typical bureaucratic fashion, the federal government is barreling ahead with purging bookshelves of these children's classics. After all, Congress has so mandated.

The same kind of idiocy as we see in this nonsense with fussing and fuming over what likely amounts to no danger whatsoever also afflicts those in charge of various governmental oversights, both present and proposed. Today's Americans as a whole, however, continue to want more government intervention in all aspects of our lives — all "for our own good," of course. Thus, we see another example of governmental bureaucracy going too far and participaing in yet another wild goose chase.

Turn the page ....

Weekly Blog Talk Radio: April 3 — John Kenneth Press

Listen to The Gathering Storm Radio Show, which WC and I cohost. The show broadcasts live every Friday beginning at noon, Pacific Time.

The call-in number is (646) 915-9870.

Callers welcome!

We will discuss "The Europe Syndrome and the Challenge to American Exceptionalism" with John Kenneth Press.

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Listen to the April 3, 2009 edition of The Gathering Storm Radio Show, live or later, by CLICKING HERE.

UPCOMING SHOWS:
April 10: Raymond Ibrahim
April 17: Allan Goldstein
April 24: Timothy Birdnow

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FEATURED QUESTION: Religion

The following video indicates just how seriously Moslems take teaching Islamic doctrine and culture to their children:



Now turn the page to learn where this little muslimah lives and makes her profession of faith.

New York City


At what point does religious instruction cross the line into brainwashing?

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Quite A Sight! Conservatives In Northern Virginia!

Despite having to wait hours in line . . .

Common Cents attended and has the photos of yesterday's book signing by Mark R. Levin at Tysons Corner Center. Levin's book, Liberty and Tyranny, is flying off the shelves!



Northern Virginia is the bastion of liberalism. That so many turned out and waiting for hours is a very good sign that we can turn things around in 2010!

Liberals love to tell us that they outnumber us conservatives. You couldn't tell that at yesterday's book signing.

(Crossposted to THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, with thanks to Reliapundit for the graphic on the right)

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BHO: In Search Of Moslems For His Administration

(Note: two posts today)


More of BHO's reaching out to Moslems. Not unexpected, really. He said he was going to do so and referred to America as a nation of Christians and Muslims in his Inaugural Address.

From this article:

Obama gets list of top Muslim Americans

CHICAGO — In a bid to get more Muslim Americans working in the Obama administration, a book with resumes of 45 of the nation's most qualified — Ivy League grads, Fortune 500 executives and public servants, all carefully vetted — has been submitted to the White House.

The effort, driven by community leaders and others, including U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., was bumped up two weeks because White House officials heard about the venture, said J. Saleh Williams, program coordinator for the Congressional Muslim Staffers Association, who sifted through more than 300 names.

"It was mostly under the radar," Williams said. "We thought it would put (the president) in a precarious position. We didn't know how closely he wanted to appear to be working with the Muslim American community."

Change!

(Hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance for the link used in this posting)

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Blaming The Law For Criminality

First, we have Secretary of State Hillary Clinton casting blame for Mexican drug violence in the direction of the United States' "war" on drugs:

The United States is at least as responsible as Mexico for the violent drug wars that are roiling its southern neighbor because of an insatiable U.S. market for narcotics, the failure to stop weapons smuggling southward and a three-decade "war" on drugs that "has not worked," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday.

"Our insatiable demand for illegal drugs fuels the drug trade. Our inability to prevent weapons from being illegally smuggled across the border to arm these criminals causes the deaths of police officers, soldiers and civilians," Clinton said.

"How could anyone conclude any differently? . . . I feel very strongly we have co-responsibility," she said....

Now comes the following:

American truck drivers operating near the U.S.-Mexico border are being warned of increasing violence among warring drug cartels and are being told to stay alert against attacks or hijackings.

"Violence amongst Mexican drug cartels in the border states, on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border, has exponentially increased in the past year," according to the alert from First Observer, a trucking security program funded by a Department of Homeland Security grant.

"Truck drivers carry a risk, as they are involved in operations that might interest these criminals," the alert said.

The alert cited the efforts of Mexican President Felipe Calderon to crack down on cross-border smuggling of drugs, which it says has hurt the cartels' operations.

"With these difficulties, the cartels' gangs have become more aggressive and dangerous with their tactics," the alert said. "Violent crimes have surged throughout border cities, and the violence that primarily occurred on the Mexican side has begun to spill into the United States."...

And the better approach is what, exactly?

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Here's Your Outrage Of The Day

One of them anyway (emphases mine):

Terror inmates may be released in US: intel chief

President Barack Obama's intelligence chief confirmed Thursday that some Guantanamo inmates may be released on US soil and receive assistance to return to society.

"If we are to release them in the United States, we need some sort of assistance for them to start a new life," said National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair at his first press conference....

Read the rest.

I'm willing to bet that these released terrorists will get better and less expensive health-care coverage than I do. Heh.

(Hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance)

Meanwhile, we have this NIMBY worry a few days ago in the Washington Post:

An outcry is growing in Alexandria over a prospect no one seems to like: terrorist suspects in the suburbs.

The historic, vibrant community less than 10 miles from the White House markets itself as a "federal friendly zone." But it has turned decidedly unfriendly to news that the Obama administration might move some detainees from their highly controlled military fortress at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Alexandria to stand trial at the federal courthouse.

"We would be absolutely opposed to relocating Guantanamo prisoners to Alexandria," Mayor William D. Euille (D) said. "We would do everything in our power to lobby the president, the governor, the Congress and everyone else to stop it. We've had this experience, and it was unpleasant. Let someone else have it."...

How many in that particular community in Alexandria voted for BHO last November 4? But now that their own community might be affected, they are singing a different tune.

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FEATURED QUESTION: Politics

I've been overwhelmed recently with the Herculean task of seeking and obtaining private health-insurance coverage. I'll spare my readers the details of that quest, other than to say that I've been approved for coverage nearly a month ago but am waiting for the effective date of the policy to be entered into the company's system. Why entering the required data, all submitted weeks ago, is taking so long remains a mystery.
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As a result of having to spend long hours on hold and engaged in heated telephone conversations with the aforementioned health-insurance company, I've been unable to make blog rounds or to do more than keep a cursory eye on the news. That said, I notice that most broadcasts I've recently seen on television are those of BHO's speechifying. Just this morning, within two hours, he was twice on the screen presenting something or other.


Is it my imagination or is BHO on that television screen more than any previous American President? If the latter, why is he constantly in front of the broadcast media?

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A Bailout For Newspapers Too?

Recently, citing the disappearance and downsizing of some newspapers, I posed this FEATURED QUESTION about journalism. Now it seems that U.S. Senator Benjamin Cardin has introduced a bailout bill for certain newspapers.

From this article at Reuters (hat tip to MR of Infidel Bloggers Alliance):

U.S. bill seeks to rescue faltering newspapers

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With many U.S. newspapers struggling to survive, a Democratic senator on Tuesday introduced a bill to help them by allowing newspaper companies to restructure as nonprofits with a variety of tax breaks.

[...]

Cardin's Newspaper Revitalization Act would allow newspapers to operate as nonprofits for educational purposes under the U.S. tax code, giving them a similar status to public broadcasting companies.

Under this arrangement, newspapers would still be free to report on all issues, including political campaigns. But they would be prohibited from making political endorsements.

Advertising and subscription revenue would be tax exempt, and contributions to support news coverage or operations could be tax deductible.

Because newspaper profits have been falling in recent years, "no substantial loss of federal revenue" was expected under the legislation, Cardin's office said in a statement.

Cardin's office said his bill was aimed at preserving local and community newspapers, not conglomerates which may also own radio and TV stations. His bill would also let a non-profit buy newspapers owned by a conglomerate.

"We are losing our newspaper industry," Cardin said. "The economy has caused an immediate problem, but the business model for newspapers, based on circulation and advertising revenue, is broken, and that is a real tragedy for communities across the nation and for our democracy."

Newspaper subscriptions and advertising have shrunk dramatically in the past few years as Americans have turned more and more to the Internet or television for information....

Thus far, the bill has no co-sponsors. In sane times, the bill wouldn't have any co-sponsors. But do we live in sane times?

Who or what entity will next be looking for or offered some kind of bailout? Whoever or whatever entity seeks help from the federal government and thereby from the taxpayer, some politician on Capitol Hill will be willing to accommodate the request — in the name of looking out for our "general welfare," no doubt.

The clause "promote the general welfare," in the Preamble of the Constitution of the United States, has led to more expansion of government than our Founders ever foresaw or advocated. Would our Founders any longer recognize the country which they established?

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Weekly Blog Talk Radio: March 27 — I.Q. Al Rassooli & Steven Clark Bradley

Listen to The Gathering Storm Radio Show, which WC and I cohost. The show broadcasts live every Friday beginning at noon, Pacific Time.

The call-in number is (646) 915-9870.

Callers welcome!

Our guests this week are two authors: I.Q. Al Rassoli and Steven Clark Bradley.

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I.Q. Al Rassoli, our guest for the first half hour, is the author of Lifting the Veil: The True Faces of Muhammad and Islam. He also has two web sites: In The Name Of Allah and the YouTube site Idiot's Guide To Islam. Sample from the latter:



Our guest for the second half hour is Steven Clark Bradley, author of the novel Patriot Acts. From the novel's description at Amazon:

America finds itself under covert nuclear attack from the Islamic Republic of Iran which has linked up with radical American Militia groups. They have set aside their political and religious differences to carry out the widest attack to America in the nation 's history. Colonel Fisher Harrison, the best trained Special Ops killer the military has, is the only one person who can effectively retaliate against their aggression. The only problem is that Colonel Fisher is in a federal prison, framed for a murder he did not commit by his former boss who is now the President of the United States of America....

Listen to the March 27, 2009 edition of The Gathering Storm Radio Show, live or later, by CLICKING HERE.

UPCOMING SHOWS:
April 3: Discussion of "The Europe Syndrome and the Challenge to American Exceptionalism" with John Kenneth Press.
April 10: Raymond Ibrahim
April 17: Allan Goldstein
April 24: Timothy Birdnow

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Eurabia And Amerabia: Two Videos

Meanwhile, closer to home, even as Brits in Luton plan to demonstrate against Al Qaeda on March 28, Fairfax County, Virginia, is considering allowing the expansion of the Islamic Saudi Academy, owned by the Royal Embassy of Saud Arabia. In the video below, you'll note the black bag walking around starting at time marker 1:29, the Islamic prayer session inside the Fairfax County Government Center, commonly referred to by us county residents as "The Taj Mahal," and all the kaffiyehs, symbols of Pseudostinian solidarity:



Some reading: article about Fairfax County's preferential treatment of the Islamic Saudi Academy. A must read!

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BHO On 60 Minutes, March 22, 2009

He's downright gleeful. Force yourself to watch it (less than a minute long):



TRANSCRIPT

Steve Kroft: You’re sitting here. And you’re laughing. You are laughing about some of these problems. Are people going to look at this and say, ‘I mean, he’s sitting there just making jokes about money?’ How do you deal with — I mean: explain... Are you punch-drunk?”

Obama: No, no. There’s gotta be a little gallows humor to get you through the day. Sometimes my team talks about the fact that, uh, if you had said a year ago that the least of my problems would have been Iraq — which is still a pretty serious problem — I don’t think anyone would have believed it. But we’ve got a lot on our plate, and a lot of difficult decisions we’re going to have to make.

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Proof Positive That BHO Is Unfit To Be President Of The United States

I'm in a hurry this morning, but you can find a few details below the fold.

Obama sent a letter to Chirac, saying he looks forward to working with him the next four years. Le Figaro, French newspaper is horrified at the faux pas. Doesn't Obama ever consult his staff before acting? Sarkozy is the President there! It's like Sarko writing to George Bush and saying he looks forward to working with him. Chirac is the FORMER president.

Gateway Pundit has more details HERE. Check it out. Leave your views at Gateway Pundit or here at Always On Watch.

I have these two questions:

1. How does a sitting President make a glaring mistake such as this one?

2. How is BHO going to squirm out of this one? He put this mistake in writing!

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BHO Seeking To Limit ALL Executive Pay At Every Financial Institution?

(Two posts today. Please scroll down)

Trouble of the most serious and the most extreme sort! And, if perpetrated, it WILL touch YOU, not just the AIG fat cats at whom so much anger has recently been directed!
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From this article in the March 22, 2009 edition of the New York Times (all emphases mine):

The Obama administration will call for increased oversight of executive pay at all banks, Wall Street firms and possibly other companies as part of a sweeping plan to overhaul financial regulation, government officials said.

The outlines of the plan are expected to be unveiled this week in preparation for President Obama’s first foreign summit meeting in early April.

[...]

The officials said that the administration was still debating the details of its plan, including how broadly it should be applied and how far it could go beyond simple reporting requirements. Depending on the outcome of the discussions, the administration could seek to put the changes into effect through regulations rather than through legislation.

[...]

The new rules will cover all financial institutions, including those not now covered by any pay rules because they are not receiving federal bailout money....

Read the rest HERE.

Also see "NYT- Obama to limit ALL EXEC pay- ALL? USA-SSR. The end of America" by Epa of Infidel Bloggers Alliance. Excerpt (emphasis mine):

If this is not shot down immediately, then what would we be fighting the war on terror for, again? The right of a federal govt to own me? Own my potential? Own yours?

Barack Obama, if this is true, not only has no right to the office, he is a danger to the republic as it was founded.

Anyone running around thinking, 'well this will never affect me, this is about the head of GM' is in denial. This govt is trying to establish they have the RIGHT to decide what you can achieve, what your mind, your effort, and your thought is worth.

This idea, this principle, if TRUE as the NYT states, is as destructive to this republic as ANY IDEA the alien freaks of Al Qaeda, Shia Islam, the Muslim Brotherhood, or KSA ever wanted.

This idea that the govt has the right to determine ANYONE'S (non govt) pay is TREASON.

Read it all and the comments thereto.

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Credit Card Fraud

For more than six months, my primary credit card company and I have been dealing with unauthorized charges to the credit card which I most use. Time and again, a particular merchant violated and continues to violate the contract, which clearly states a one-time charge. This merchant, after being challenged at least four times and agreeing to cease posting the charges, resumes charging nearly $200 to my account every few months.

Friday evening, my credit card company and I consulted once again. Clearly, I have been the victim of a credit card scam, amounting to over $1,000. Therefore, having exhausted all other means, my credit card company and I took the only possible remaining step and closed my account, an account which I've had and relied upon for over thirteen years. In a few days, I will receive a new card with a new account number.

Problem solved — except that this particular card is the one to which monthly charges are posted for cable television, Netflix, and my internet server. Fortunately, those standing charges are not again scheduled to take place until next month, and I should have plenty of time to make the conversion to the new credit card account. Still, getting all the transferring done will be a hassle.

How did this fraud begin? I did a stupid thing: I gave my credit card number over the telephone. Yes, I should have known better. In my own defense, however, I've used several similar merchants in the "Who's Who" network and have never had a problem with adherence to the contract. Obviously, this last time was different.

All throughout this hassle with unauthorized charges, my credit card company has been completely responsive and proactive. Apparently, credit card companies deal with similar scams because all my calls to the company have been handled in an expeditious and effective manner. In my case, all but the one legitimate contractual charge has been nulled via credits to my account — after I paid the charges, of course.

We consumers must exercise more caution than ever before. So many scam artists are operating out there and looking for victims!

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Best Rant I've Read In A Long Time

At this post, at Our World As We See It.

A few excerpts, in no particular order:

I’m tired of being told that I have to “spread the wealth around” to people who don’t have my work ethic. But rather sit around in their lazy chair’s playing video games. Or spending their welfare money on lottery tickets. I’m tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy or stupid to earn it, but who would rather steal it.

***********************

I’m tired of being told that Islam is a “Religion of Peace,” when every day I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and daughters for their family “honor;” of Muslims rioting over some slight offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren’t “believers;” of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning teenage rape victims to death for “adultery;” of Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, because the Qur’an and Shari’a law tells them to. And who else would cut off peoples arms or heads for what we would sentence them to 30 days for.

***********************

I’m tired of being told I must have “tolerance for other cultures” we must let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and madrassa Islamic schools to preach hate in America, while no American group is allowed to fund a church, synagogue or religious school in Saudi Arabia to teach love and tolerance. We must let the Muslims build the “foot baths” in our airports and baseball stadiums, and in our schools where we can’t even say the pledge of allegiance any longer.

***********************

I’m tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global warming, which no one is allowed to debate, but rather take the word of Al Gore who is a raving lunatic. . My carbon footprint is about 5% of Al Gore’s, and I’m green enough for me.

***********************

I’m tired of a news media that thinks Bush’s fund-raising and inaugural expenses were obscene, but that think Obama’s, at triple the cost, were wonderful. That thinks Bush exercising daily was a waste of presidential time, but Obama exercising is a great example for the public to control weight and stress, that picked over every line of Bush’s military records, but never demanded that Kerry release his, that slammed Sarah Palin with two years as governor for being too inexperienced for VP, but touted Obama with three years as senator and who voted “present” 90 percent of his time there as potentially the best president ever.

Read it all.

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FEATURED QUESTION: Politics & Society

On Thursday, March 19, the President of the United States appeared as a guest on The Jay Leno Show.

Video clip, including BHO's gaffe comparing his bowling with the Special Olympics:



(1) Does a sitting President's appearance on an entertainment show such as The Jay Leno Show demean the office of the President of the United States? (2) In your view, what was BHO trying to accomplish, overtly or covertly, by appearing in such a non-serious venue?

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More Proof That Politicians Are Idiots

But I repeat myself.
---
On St. Patrick's Day, Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen did some repeating of his own when he reiterated the words from BHO's teleprompter:

WASHINGTON -- Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen was just a few paragraphs into an address at a St. Patrick's Day celebration at the White House when he realized something sounded way too familiar. Turns out, he was repeating the speech President Barack Obama had just given.

[...]

Cowen stopped and looked back at the president to say, "That's your speech."

Obama laughed and returned to the podium...

(Crossposted to THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS)

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Return To Islamberg

by

Paul L. Williams, Ph.D.

(with the able assistance of Patrick Walsh and Michael Travis)

Islamberg resembles a ghost town

The Muslim settlement captured national attention two years ago when a story entitled “Springtime in Islamberg” appeared in Atlas Shrugs, Canada Free Press, and other news pages. Since the publication of this expose, Islamberg became an item of interest for ABC News, Fox News, CNN, and other national news outlets; a subject of attention by such best-selling authors as Robert Spencer and Brigitte Gabriel; and the centerpiece of a documentary by Christian Action Network.

But much has changed within this 70 acre Islamic settlement that is located in the dense forest between the small rural villages of Deposit and Hancock in upper New York State.

The sentry post is gone and no guards are in sight.

A handful of children play in the mud and muck before rows of rusty old trailers and a few women in full burqas saunter along the rutty dirt road that leads to the heart of the squalid Muslim compound.

Young men in Islamic garb no longer congregate before the makeshift mosque, and no students are in attendance at the one room shack that serves as Sheikh Gilani's “International Quranic Open University”.

The few residents who remain, clearly are not environmentalists. Sewage seeps from septic tanks and outhouses into the creek that flows at the base of the settlement. Bags of rotting garbage remain stacked between the trailers. And the once pristine countryside is now littered with junk cars, moldy mattresses, empty tanks of propane, and old appliances.

Gunfire no longer can be heard from the firing ranges along the eastern parameter of the 70 acre property - - and no grunts come from new recruits at the obstacle course.

A new sign at the entranceway reads, “Welcome to Hag Islamberg: The International Quranic Open University.” Next to this sign, which features the image of a mosque emerging from the mountains, is a pot of plastic carnations. Another sign proclaims that the community is home to the “United Muslim – Christian Forum.”

Such statements of welcome are offset by the “No Trespassing” signs that have been nailed to trees throughout the compound.

On the opposite side of the road leading into the community is a rack of metal mailboxes bearing such names as Abdul-Haqq, Abdul Jalil, Mumim Roberts, Abdullah Simonds, and Salam Insan.

What has happened to this once bustling complex of radical Islamists - - a place where the cries of muezzins were accompanied by the incessant rat-tat-tat of machine gunfire? Where are the Arab dignitaries that used to visit this remote community in chauffeur-driven limousines? Where are the armed sentries who warded away all intruders?

“The place was scary,” a barfly at Couzin’s Tavern in Deposit, says. “The last time I went there, I was surrounded by twenty-five Muslims with shotguns and Uzis. I haven’t heard much about it lately.”

Is the place still scary?

A recent visit confirmed the following....

Read the rest HERE.

And tune in to The Gathering Storm Radio Show on Friday, March 20, 2009, for an interview with Dr. Paul L. Williams.

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Anarchy South Of The Border

Postpone that upcoming vacation in Mexico or living in a border state until consulting the map:

From this March 18, 2009 article in the Washington Post:

...A [dark] picture was presented by Denise Dresser, a Princeton-educated professor of political science in Mexico City, who warned that recent U.S. assistance in fighting drug trafficking has had only mixed success. Cocaine traffickers now spend more than twice the attorney general's budget just for bribes; 450,000 citizens are involved in the drug trade....

"Mexico is becoming a country where lawlessness prevails, where more people died in drug-related violence last year than those killed in Iraq, where the government has been infiltrated by the mafias and cartels it has vowed to combat," Dresser said. "Although many believe that Obama's greatest foreign policy challenges lie in Pakistan or Iran or the Middle East, they may in fact be found in the immediate neighborhood."

[...]

"Unfortunately, in the past six months, we have noted a troubling increase in the number of grenades . . . seized from or used by drug traffickers, and we are concerned about the possibility of explosives-related violence spilling into U.S. border towns," the Justice Department said...

Newsbleat makes the following observation in a post dated March 18, 2009:

Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart, who oversees U.S. military interests on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border as the head of Northern Command, told the US Senate: “The Mexican government is taking aggressive action to win. They are building momentum. I would not say they are losing,” Renuart said when asked if the Calderon government was winning or losing.

A bunch of drug pushers fighting the entire Mexican military and police force, drug cartels versus the entire combined might of the Mexican government, and our expert general would not say if the Mexican government was winning or losing.

“I would not say they are losing”. Talk about having your tongue stuck between your teeth and your cheek…

Meanwhile, the BHO administration is working on a "Mexico plan." We've already seen how some of BHO's other "plans" have worked out.

Well, he WANTED the job of President, and he got it. Now what?

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Weekly Blog Talk Radio: March 20 — Dr. Paul L. Williams

Listen to The Gathering Storm Radio Show, which WC and I cohost. The show broadcasts live every Friday beginning at noon, Pacific Time.

The call-in number is (646) 915-9870.

Callers welcome!

Our guest for the entire hour is Dr. Paul L. Williams, a former consultant to the FBI on organized crime and terrorism.

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Dr. Williams is an award-winning investigative journalist and has written several books, including The Day of Islam: The Annihlation of America and the Western World. In his book The Al Qaeda Connection, Dr. Williams offers evidence that Osama bin Laden has obtained nuclear weapons and smuggled them into the U.S. through Mexico for use in a plot known as "American Hiroshima." Also see these online articles by Dr. Paul Williams: "Springtime in Islamberg" and the interview "Paul Williams details 'American Hiroshima': Al-Qaida plotting nuclear attack with weapons already in U.S."

Listen to the March 20, 2009 edition of The Gathering Storm Radio Show, live or later, by CLICKING HERE.

UPCOMING SHOWS:
March 27: Author of Lifting the Veil: The True Faces of Muhammad and Islam, I.Q. Al Rassooli (web site, YouTube site) and Steven Clark Bradley
April 3: Mohammed Abdul and Sabir debate aspects of the Koran
April 10: Raymond Ibrahim

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Blaming And Whining

In between runs up and down helicopter stairs and various media appearances, BHO has more and more frequently turned to blaming the Bush administration for the problems with the economy — never mind that BHO actively sought the office of President of the United States.

From this front-page article in the Washington Post on March 14, 2009:

In his inaugural address, President Obama proclaimed "an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics."

It hasn't taken long for the recriminations to return -- or for the Obama administration to begin talking about the unwelcome "inheritance" of its predecessor.

Over the past month, Obama has reminded the public at every turn that he is facing problems "inherited" from the Bush administration, using increasingly bracing language to describe the challenges his administration is up against....

Perhaps what I'm about to say is a petty observation, but it keeps popping into my head. BHO's blaming Bush reminds me of what I used to hear from third graders when they couldn't find their books or homework papers and whined, "Mommy didn't pack them in my bookbag."

What was my response to the students' whining and deflection of accountability? "It's not Mommy's bookbag. It's your bookbag. You're old enough to pack it yourself."

As part of the job, every President inherits his predecessor's successes and failures. Some sixty days into this administration, America's economy, like it or not, is now the Obama economy. Now that the various spending bills have been signed into law, BHO's finger pointing at the Bush administration serves no purpose except to attempt to deflect the responsibilities which come with having been elected to the highest office in our land or to try to hold onto approval ratings, neither of which purposes is the mark of a responsible leader.

One other purpose might be involved in this blame-Bush mantra: to influence the 2010 elections in the Democratic Party's favor. If BHO can successfully demonize the Republican Party by demonizing GWB, victory in 2010 for the Democratic Party will be assured. It is human nature to deflect blame and responsibility from oneself. Remember what Adam said to the Lord after the Fall:

...The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

Wrong then, wrong now.

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Is The BHO Administration Incompetent?

Ya think?

Even some Democrats are starting to question this administration's ability to govern.

From the March 15, 2009 article "More than a bad day: Worries grow that Barack Obama & Co. have a competence problem":

Not long ago, after a string of especially bad days for the Obama administration, a veteran Democratic pol approached me with a pained look on his face and asked, "Do you think they know what they're doing?"

The question caught me off guard because the man is a well-known Obama supporter. As we talked, I quickly realized his asking suggested his own considerable doubts.

Yes, it's early, but an eerily familiar feeling is spreading across party lines and seeping into the national conversation. It's a nagging doubt about the competency of the White House.

Read the list of complaints and concerns, at the point of a mere sixty days of the BHO administration.

BHO's Teflon coating is wearing thin elsewhere, too. From the March 12, 2009 lead editorial in the Washington Post:

LIKE A DIETER who allows himself just one more slice of cake before starting to count calories, President Obama signed the $410 billion omnibus spending bill, then pledged to get tough on congressional earmark spending -- next time. "This piece of legislation must mark an end to the old way of doing business," Mr. Obama announced. As with the dieter, skepticism is appropriate. The old way was supposed to have ended already.

[...]

...[E]armarks are symbols of broader indiscipline, and they also are conducive to corruption. So it was disappointing that Mr. Obama shied away from a tougher stance even as he congratulated himself for doing more.

When cult followers start getting disappointed in their leader, look out. The pendulum will swing to the opposite side.

I can't wait for the BHO Cult to start screeching. Heh.

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UK: Moslem Attacks Christian Minister

Woman Honor Thyself has the details.

[END OF THIS POSTING]

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Update: The Beheading In Buffalo

(Note: Two posts today. Please scroll down)


Quickie link to the AP story: Hassan pleads innocent.



Previous AOW posts about this story here, here, and here.

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Egyptian Islamomaniac: The Starbucks Logo Has To Go (With Addendum)

(Hat tip to Kevin of The Amboy Times)


Ignoring the actual history of the sketch familiar to frequenters of those ubiquitous Starbucks coffee shops, Egyptian cleric Safwat Higaz has proclaimed that the familiar image on the Starbucks logo is that of Queen Esther and must not appear in the Islamic world:

The girl in the Starbucks logo is Queen Esther. Do you know who Queen Esther was and what the crown on her head means? This is the crown of the Persian kingdom. This queen is the queen of the Jews. She is mentioned in the Torah, in the Book of Esther. The girl you see is Esther, the queen of the Jews in Persia."

[...]

We Want Starbucks To Be Shut Down Throughout The Arab And Islamic World...It Is Inconceivable That In Mecca and Al-Madina, There Will Be a Picture of Queen Esther.

Can you believe that in Mecca, Al-Madina, Cairo, Damascus, Kuwait, and all over the Islamic world there hangs the picture of beautiful Queen Esther, with a crown on her head, and we buy her products?

More here at MEMRI.

Who is that woman in the logo? According to this source, citing Howard Schultz’s Pour Your Heart into It:

"Terry [Heckler]...poured over old marine books until he came up with a logo based on an old sixteenth-century Norse woodcut: a two-tailed mermaid, or siren, encircled by the store’s original name, Starbucks Coffee, Tea, and Spice. That early siren, bare-breasted and Rubenesque, was supposed to be as seductive as coffee itself."

Of course, although unmentioned by the Egyptian cleric, a woman not shrouded in a burqa or having her hair covered by a hijab is automatically seductive and offensive too. The anti-Semitism in the cleric's "findings" just seal the deal for banning Starbucks.

As easily offended as Moslems are, I figure that it's only a matter of time before even an infidel's mere carrying around of a Starbucks cup will violate their "sensitivities."

Additional reading: Google-search results for "Starbucks + jihad."

Addendum (courtesy of Kevin of The Amboy Times), sharia-compliant logo for Starbucks:



Another Starburqa logo, from Infidel Bloggers Alliance:

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FEATURED QUESTION: Education

As every informed citizen knows, the economic downturn is causing local governments to scrutinize and make cuts to their budgets for the public schools. All agree that class sizes should not be increased — or increased as little as possible.
----
This essay by Jay Mathews, "Better Teachers, Not Tinier Classes, Should Be Goal," offers another perspective on the sacred cow of class size.

Excerpt:

...[W]hen the Center for Public Education examined 19 studies of class-size effects that met its research standards, it reached two interesting conclusions. First, most of the studies focused on kindergarten through third grade, and most of the beneficial effects of smaller classes seem to occur in those years, when students are learning to read. Spending money on class-size reduction for those kids makes sense, as several local school systems have shown.

Second, the studies showed little effect from class-size reduction unless the number of students was 20 or fewer, and little effect in middle or high schools....

Read the entire article here.

A related article about the apportioning of funds for education appeared in Newsweek, in a personal essay entitled "Autism and Education."

Excerpt:

My son and my daughter are happy, active, healthy children who enjoy school and are lucky to have a solid family life. But they are very different. My autistic son tests in the "severe" range in many subjects. At 8, he reads well but cannot answer basic questions about what he has read. He speaks at a 3-year-old level, adores "Blue's Clues" and is almost potty-trained.

My daughter, meanwhile, tests in the 95th percentile nationwide on standardized tests. At 12, she shows an amazing ability to process information, taking complex ideas apart and putting them back together to form new thoughts. She reads an entire novel most Sunday afternoons, solves the Sudoku puzzles in the paper and memorizes the entire script—not just her own lines—for the school plays she loves to be in.

At school, my son spends a portion of his day in a regular classroom. But primarily he learns in a group of two to six children led by an intervention specialist, often accompanied by an aide. Even when he's in the regular classroom, he is never without an adult by his side. His intervention specialist records everything he does in daily logs that are required to ensure funding....

My son's teachers do their absolute best for him. I know they love him. But beyond that, his government-mandated Individualized Education Plan legally ensures that he gets every opportunity to excel. In addition, his teachers spend countless hours each year filling out detailed quarterly reports and other government-required paperwork. If I decide that the school district should pay for something extra to improve my son's education, I can appeal to an independent board for mediation.

My daughter spends all but three hours of her school week in a regular classroom, where she often hides a book in her desk and reads while the teacher talks. She complains to me when the teacher reteaches things she learned last year, and she resents being drilled over and over on something she learned in 10 minutes. For three hours a week, she is pulled from her classroom for a "gifted" program with 15 other children, where she works either on a group project with other students or independently on her own blog or a computer-based foreign-language program.
I can only imagine how much my daughter would excel if she had a program specifically geared to her strengths, one that challenged her creativity on a daily basis. Or if she received even half the individual attention my son receives every week...

[...]

...My daughter has the potential for much more. If she were given even a fraction of the customized education that my son receives, she could learn the skills needed to prevent the next worldwide flu pandemic, or invent a new form of nonpolluting transportation. Perhaps she could even discover a cure for autism.

Read the entire essay here.

Assuming the inevitability of reductions in costs to the local governments and the local taxpayers, how would you restructure those budgets during these difficult economic times?

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Textbook Revisions At The Islamic Saudi Academy

After years of asserting that no Wahhabist hatred fills the pages of their textbooks (more here), the Islamic Saudi Academy, owned by the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, has done some backpedaling.
----
From this source:

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- An Islamic school in northern Virginia with close ties to the Saudi government has revised its religious textbooks in an effort to end years of criticism that the school fosters hatred and intolerance.

While the Islamic Saudi Academy deleted some of the most contentious passages from the texts, copies provided to The Associated Press show that enough sensitive material remains to fuel critics who claim the books show intolerance toward those who do not follow strict interpretations of Islam.

The academy, which teaches nearly 900 students in grades K-12 at its campus just outside the Capital Beltway, developed new Islamic studies textbooks for all grades after a 2008 congressional report called portions of the previous editions troubling. The school provided the AP copies of the new textbooks, which revise language on hot-button issues such as requiring women to cover their heads and how Muslims should relate to people of other religions.

[...]

The school was founded in 1984 and largely stayed out of the spotlight until the Sept. 11 attacks, which focused attention on the Saudi educational system. In December 2001, two former ISA students, Mohammed El-Yacoubi and Mohammed Osman Idris, were denied entry into Israel when authorities there found El-Yacoubi carrying what the FBI believed was a suicide note linked to a planned martyrdom operation in Israel.

In 2005, a former ISA valedictorian, Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, was convicted in federal court of joining al-Qaida while attending college in Saudi Arabia and plotting to assassinate President George W. Bush.

Last year, the school's then-director, Abdalla al-Shabnan, was convicted of failing to report a suspected case of child sex abuse.

Last year also was when the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom released a report saying the school's textbooks contained several troubling passages, including one saying it is permissible for Muslims to kill adulterers and converts from Islam and another saying "the Jews conspired against Islam and its people."

The new books don't contain those passages. The AP reviewed them with assistance from Ali al-Ahmed, director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs in Washington, who has criticized the academy and the books used there and in schools in Saudi Arabia.

[...]

Al-Ahmed, whose group monitors politics and education in the Gulf, said the revised texts now being used at ISA make some small improvements in tone. But he said it's clear from the books that the core ideology behind them -- a puritanical strain of Islam known as Wahhabism that is dominant within Saudi Arabia -- remains intact.

"It shows they have no intention of real reform," al-Ahmed said.

Al-Ahmed cited other passages that, while not offensive, reflect what he sees as a medieval mentality despite the academy's efforts to modernize. One chapter deals extensively with sorcery, for instance, while another warns Muslims to be careful in accepting party and wedding invitations from non-Muslims.

"We don't live in the desert 1,000 years ago," al-Ahmed said. "It's disconnected from today because the authorities themselves are disconnected."

Not all agree wtih Al-Ahmed, as explained below:

Eleanor Doumato, a visiting fellow in international studies at Brown University who reviewed the textbooks at the academy's request, endorsed their contents.

These "books do not contain inflammatory material, nor do they encourage students to exhibit intolerance," she wrote in a letter co-signed by Gregory Starrett, an anthropology professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. "In addition, these books counsel patience, gratitude, kindness, honesty and other important moral qualities that are encouraged by Muslims and non-Muslims alike."

Doumato and Starrett were paid by the academy to conduct their review....

The problem all along in dealing with the ISA has been the school's conflict of interest with American values of freedom and democracy.

The school continues to operate. However, according to the article, a review

is being conducted by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, a regional accrediting body. The association initiated a review of the school's accreditation status last year, and is looking at the new textbooks as part of its review. Spokeswoman Jennifer Oliver said the review is ongoing.

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An Islamomaniac's Wish For America

From a Kuwaiti professor and Islamic scholar, no less:



The YouTube text for the above video is below the fold (emphases mine):

Abdallah Al-Nafisi: Four pounds of anthrax in a suitcase this big carried by a fighter through tunnels from Mexico into the US, are guaranteed to kill 330,000 Americans within a single hour, if it is properly spread in population centers there. What a horrifying idea. 9/11 will be small change in comparison. Am I right? There is no need for airplanes, conspiracies, timings, and so on. One person, with the courage to carry four pounds of anthrax, will go to the White House lawn, and will spread this "confetti" all over them, and then will do these cries of joy. It will turn into a real "celebration."

The WMD is a problem. The Americans are afraid that the WMDs might fall into the hands of "terrorist" organizations, like Al-Qaeda and others. There is good reason for the Americans' fears, because Al-Qaeda used to have in the Herat region... It had laboratories in north Afghanistan. They have scientists, chemists, and nuclear physicists. They are nothing like they are portrayed by these mercenary journalists backward Bedouins living in caves. No, no. By no means. This kind of talk can fool only naïve people. People who follow such things know that Al-Qaeda has laboratories, just like Hizbullah. Hizbullah has laboratories in South Lebanon, in which it produces weapons and sells them. Hizbullah has laboratories in South Lebanon, from which it sells weapons to Romania and Hungary.

[...]

If they call someone a terrorist, say: "He's a friend of mine." Why? Because these "terrorists" are the world's most God-fearing people. They are the most honorable people in the world, the best people in the world. I have personally met Mullah Omar. I had the honor of meeting with Mullah Omar. This is a man who does not belong to this era. He always refused to meet with Western delegations. He would say to them: "Go to Kabul, I am in Qandahar." "Truly, the polytheists are impure" if you know what I mean. "Go meet the foreign minister to talk politics. I am staying here." This is the kind of people who are suitable for dealing with the West. As for 'Ariqat, Dahlan, and their ilk they do not benefit the nation in any way.

[...]

In the US, there are more than 300,000 white militia members, who are calling to attack the federal government in Washington, and to banish the Arabs, the Jews, and the negroes [sic] from the US. These are racist people. They are called "rednecks." The Ku Klux Klan. They are racists.

[...]

These militias even think about bombing nuclear plants within the US. May Allah grant them success, even though we are not white, or even close to it, right? They have plans to bomb the nuclear plant at Lake Michigan. This plant is very important. It supplies electricity to all of North Africa [sic]. May Allah grant success to one of these militia leaders, who is thinking about bombing this plant. I believe that we should devote part of our prayers to him. We should pray that Allah grants him success, so he can complete this mission, and we will be able to visit him and congratulate him, Allah willing.

[...]

Allah states in the Koran that the hostility between us and [the Jews] is eternal. So whoever talks about dialogue cut off his tongue! What dialogue are they talking about?! There is no room for dialogue. Allah said that our hostility towards the Jews is eternal, and then along comes someone and talks about brotherhood and so on... This contradicts the Koran. Anyone who contradicts the Koran is an infidel. Accusing people of heresy? Yes, I'm all for it. Yes, I support accusing people of heresy.

[...]

We should also defend the resistance, and not remain silent in the face of this organized campaign against the resistance in the press of the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf, and other Arab newspapers. There are voices expressing doubts about the leaders of the resistance. We must confront these [journalists], and prevent them from continuing this, even if it means calling them over the phone, and saying to them: "Do not repeat these despicable things in your columns or your articles, or else we will take the following measures against you." We must resort to pressure with these people. We must not remain silent. We must not leave them to their own devices, under the pretext of freedom of expression. This is a fifth column.

[...]

I, Abdallah Fahd Abd Al-'Aziz Al-Nafisi, am inciting you to confront, using any means possible, anyone who speaks out against the resistance. "Any means possible" get it?

[...]

The [Hamas] ministers are mujahideen. I know a minister who actually participated in operations.

How long before BHO reaches out to Kuwaiti Professor Abdallah Nafisi? Not out of the realm of possibility if the dhimmitude continues at its present rate.

Just a few days ago this appeared in the New York Times when BHO spoke of moderate elements of the Taliban, never mind the Taliban's vigorous assertions that moderation isn't a characteristic for the group.

Vice President Joe Biden, not one to be left out, also offered his input and held forth on the Taliban:



In addition to the above, we learn today that BHO may soon approach Ayatollah Khamenei, as Gateway Pundit reports (emphases mine):

The Obama administration is leaning toward making a major diplomatic overture to Iran before the country's presidential elections in June. This initiative could come in the form of a letter from President Obama to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to two senior European diplomats who have met in recent weeks with key State Department officials crafting a new US policy toward Iran.

The letter would be aimed at initiating talks over the Iranian nuclear program and Iran's role in neighboring Iraq and Afghanistan, the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

It would be the first formal communication between an American president and Iran's leadership since Washington cut diplomatic ties with Tehran following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

We've got "Change!" How much and what kind remains to be seen.

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Weekly Blog Talk Radio: March 13 — Epaminondas & Elmer's Brother

(This post stuck here for a few days. Please scroll down)

Listen to The Gathering Storm Radio Show, which WC and I cohost. The show broadcasts live every Friday beginning at noon, Pacific Time.

The call-in number is (646) 915-9870.

Callers welcome!
------
Our guest for the first half hour is Epaminondas of Villagers With Torches and Infidel Bloggers Alliance; we will discuss with Epa the current battle between capitalism and socialism how this battle is being played out in today's stock market.

Our guest for the second half hour is Elmer's Brother; we will discuss Dr. Julio Pino of Kent State University.

Listen to the March 13, 2009 edition of The Gathering Storm Radio Show, live or later, by CLICKING HERE.

UPCOMING SHOWS:
March 20: Dr. Paul L. Williams
March 27: I.Q. Al Rassooli (web site, YouTube site) and Steven Clark Bradley
April 3: Mohammed Abdul and Sabir debate aspects of the Koran

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Give BHO A Grade

If you were grading Barack Obama on his performance as president, what would he get?

Give BHO a grade HERE at MSNBC.

Results so far below the fold:





He gets an A
21%

He gets a B
5.4%

He gets a C
4.2%

He gets a D
10%

He gets an F
59%

Give BHO a letter grade, check the tabulation, and, if you wish, offer a narrative about the grade you assigned.

(Hat tip to GM, who emailed me the link)

Addendum:

Some specifics from Gateway Pundit:

** Obama has already spent more money than any person in the history of the planet.

** Obama and Pelosi's stimulus bill was the largest spending bill in the history of the planet.

** Obama and democrats have already saddled America's children and grand children with massive debt. Not that this bothers them.

** He's lost at least 3 administration nominees due to tax fraud.

** He's promoted a tax cheat to run the IRS and Treasury.

** He's insulted America's greatest ally, Great Britain.

** He's reneged on missile agreements with allies Poland and the Czech Republic.

** His administration has already met with the murderous Assad Regime from Syria.

** Obama signed legislation to close Gitmo.

** Obama freed a dirty bomber from Gitmo to Great Britain.

** Obama told US soldiers and marines in Afghanistan, "We're losing."

** Obama's VP told US soldiers and marines that US deaths will rise in Afghanistan.

** Obama has already discussed holding peace talks with the Taliban.

** The Obama stock market had its worst January in 113 years.

** The stock market had its worst February since 1933.

** The Dow has dropped faster under Obama than any other new president in 90 years.

** Obama's budget more than doubles the national debt held by the public, and adds more to the debt than all previous presidents -- from George Washington to George W. Bush -- combined.

** Obama managed to spend more than the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan combined.

** Obama will quadruple the deficit this year.

** Obama passed legislation to fund foreign abortions.

** Obama passed legislation to fund embryonic stem cell research.

** Team Obama already banned offshore drilling.

** Obama scrapped oil and gas leases in Utah for energy development.

** Obama and democrats permanently banned drilling in ANWR.

Go HERE to read embedded links for the asterisked items.

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Dangerous Thinking

From this letter to the editor of the Washington Post:

It is now up to us -- the people who voted for him -- to show massive support. It is up to us to put pressure on our senators and representatives to pass this budget.

If this budget fails, then it is we who have failed, not Mr. Obama.

Read the entire letter here.

Now consider the following information excerpted from the book Captive Hearts, Captive Minds by Madeleine Landau Tobias and Janja Lalich:

In cults and abusive relationships, those in a subordinate position usually come to accept the abuse as their fault, believing that they deserve the foul treatment or that it is for their own good. They sometimes persist in believing that they are bad rather than considering that the person upon whom they are so dependent is cruel, untrustworthy, and unreliable. It is simply too frightening for them to do that: it threatens the balance of power and means risking total rejection, loss, and perhaps even death of self or loved ones.

This explains why an abused cult follower may become disenchanted with the relationship or the group yet continue to believe in the teachings, goodness, and power of the leader.

Also see the following web site: Is Barack Obama the Messiah?

Let's go back to a year ago.

Video made before the November 4 election:



CNN video, February 15, 2008:



The signs of The Obama Cult were present. Like all cult followers, those caught up in the momentum of the cult did not see the danger signs — nor do BHO's followers and defenders see the danger signs now, as evidenced by the letter to the editor cited at the beginning of this post. How does one reason with these people?

(Crossposted to THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS)

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